Transgenic Nation
by Astarte101
Summary: Set right after Dark Angel: Skin Game, Alec and friends find out how far the government is willing to go to bring back their "wayward" soldiers, in order to create an entirely new breed.


She was late

She was late. She knew, and of course so did all of her clients.

Since when did her alarm clock decided that batteries were no longer enough to sustain it? Annoyance grabbled at her as she grabbed her coffee from the barista's hands and skipped out the trudged door. The city stank of old garbage and looked decrepid. Lydia could hardly remember a time when it wasn't so. 'Besides if the world hadn't gone to shit, where would that put me?' She thought to herself as she dodged three drunkards along the streets of the nearest block. Picking up her pace, she bit the inside of her lip knowing she was definitely going to get her ass bitten off if she was even more late.

A slight breeze picked up her short cropped auburn hair as she hiked up her pant legs so that the downtrodden smudge didn't harm them. Her white blouse buttoned low, as her arms were filled. To anyone else she would have appeared as some easy going young woman, chic and all. Lydia heard the whistles and rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses as she skidded by the perverts.

The alley was full of them, hence the nickname pervert alley. Anything with a pussy and boobs got their attention, animals not exempt. The thought gave Lydia a slight chuckle, which quickly dissipated when one of the said 'perverts,' came up behind her and grabbed her buttock. The smell of acrid days old alcohol assaulted her nose, and the sight did nothing better for her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder. She allowed her body to shudder in disgust at the man, his beard the color of the street she walked on, due mostly because of the lack of cleaning. His shirt and pants were torn in many different places, his skin had smudge mark and dirt all over and his dull eyes stared lustily into her covered blue ones.

Lydia, as anyone else who lived in Seattle, knew that homelessness was a likelihood anywhere these days, so everyone learned how to get along. Still, what Lydia disliked about these alley trudgers were their lack of motivation to provide for themselves. They were just a waste of oxygen as far as she was concerned, sure there were a few exceptions, but being lazy was not one of them. Help was needed everywhere in this time, especially now. There was no excuse.

"Like what you see lady?" His slurred words caused Lydia to jerk back into the present dilemma.

She pursed her lips at the man who stood a head taller than herself, "I'm busy."

"That's alright, I'll be here when you get back." He chuckled darkly, licking his chapped lips at her.

"I'm highly dubious of your performance," she leaned into him slightly and crinkled her nose at the drunkard. "Perhaps you should try a bath, I heard they tend to help assholes like you in situations like these." She offered the man and went on her way, too caught up in the fact that now she was seriously late and about to get chewed out.

Completely stunned for the next five seconds, the man simply blinked and went off: "Fucking bitch!" He screamed across the street that she had just crossed, but she did not give him a second thought as she strolled forward.

"So, you finally decided to show up afterall?" Max's sarcastic tone bit right through her as she rushed in through the underground entrance.

"Yeah, sorry about that…my fucking alarm…anyway here's the USB I was speaking of last month." Lydia handed over the item from her purse to Max, who took it and nodded.

"You do realize that we don't have all day to wait for your presence, oh exalted one." Max pronounced took on her 'bitch' stance. "You're an hour and a half late."

"Well, excuse me!" Lydia cried out at her in an exasperated tone, "All of you expect a city girl to run on military time and exactness, well I'm sorry but I'm only human!" She cringed outwardly at her use of the old adage and sent a apologetic glare over to her client.

Max's brown eyes looked Lydia over, as if for inspection: "The inner circle is waiting for your briefing." She casually turned and began leading the way to the usual route.

Knowing Max since the discovery of transgenics, Lydia knew they were friends, but right now Max was irritated. When Max is irritated, no one had her good side.

Being led down the corridors of their underground world, Lydia began to rethink the numbers and suggestions that had been piling into her head since the last time she had taken it upon herself to bring these people their provisions. She had started assisting Max and her people to retrieving food and other provisions that were desperately needed. Lydia, knowing fully well her deceased father's business held backwash sellers of their own, used that leverage as a means for these people. 'Just like any of her other clients, they do tend to get moody, but at least Max has a real reason, and not because of some ice sculpture about to collapse on itself!'

Following Max up a flight of metallic stairs, she instantly recognized the building as the 'headquarters,' where the corridors branched into. This was where all of the business was taken care of. Up the metallic stairs Lydia automatically felt the dozen or so eyes on her. Fretting herself out of the hunger pangs she was starting to receive, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile. 'Jeez, these people really do look pissed.' The office was actually the middle of the building, or rather warehouse, the platform was open that gave whoever was upon it sight of everything that was happening around them. Which, in this case, was the workings of electricity and providing what little water divisions they had left.

In the middle of the platform was a large roundtable, where Max was now sitting herself where the other dozen or so clients were also.

Lydia swallowed what remained of her double latte and put down her purse next to her intended seat and sat down, realizing she still had her sunglasses on she instantly pulled them back, making them a temporary headbane for her short hair. Eyeing those around her she saw the 'inner circle' itself: Max, of course the leader dressed to kill in her black leather ensemble with her dark brown hair lying down her shoulders and to her waist her brown eyes concentrating on Logan's laptop that now had her USB within it. Lydia's blue eyes went to Logan, blue eyes processing what lay on his screen his spiked blonde hair askew, probably from all of the nights sleeping here, dressed in a simple black sweater and jeans. Next to him sat Joshua, in his usual flannel sweater and pants, his hair reaching just below his shoulders. To everyone else he was some sort of freak, just like others that she has seen around here, but knowing him and speaking to him, she knew that it really did not matter where these people came from or what they were…they were people nonetheless. 'Better than people actually,' she thought to herself quite tersely. 'At least they don't kill their own kind just for fun.' Shaking her head she brought her eyes to the person sitting next to Joshua, Original Cindy, her curly unruly hair stressing out, with her tight knit shirt and pants, she was always ready to kick somone's ass. Her light brown eyes looked towards Lydia and she nodded her head towards her in affirmation. Lydia nodded back and felt another pair of eyes on her, looking towards the culprit: blue eyes crashed against green hazel. Alec. Not much was to say except, if anything, he treated her like a sister, which did not rub Lydia the wrong way at all. His blonde hair and green hazel orbs made him appear like a greek god of sorts. Still, once the lips got to flapping it all obliterated. At least for herself it did. As far as every other female in the vicinity he was apparently a fine specimen. 'Right. Whatever.' She smirked at the thought as she let the staring go to his right where two newcomers were present. One was a male, around the same age as herself and the other was another female. Both had dark hair and eyes, and tanned skin. 'Who are they?' She questioned silently, she hadn't seen these two at the other meetings?

Finishing overlooking her data, Max sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. "So, you can reach the limit on our required provisions?"

Lydia, turning her vision away from the strangers, looked straight at Max as she nodded. "Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you sure? Do these people even know who their giving this food and supplies to?" It was the male newbie who spoke up and directed the question at her.

"Did you not get the briefing, Lennie?" Max eyed him warily, obviously not liking his presence.

"I got the briefing," the so-called Lennie replied and his gaze turned glacial as he set them upon her. "Still, how can we trust one of them?"

"Hey, Rambo wannabe pick on somebody who gives three shits about your views!" Original Cindy seethed at him, entirely protective of Lydia.

"Lydia may not be transgenic, but she's certainly proven herself. Can the same be said about you two?" Alec stepped in as well as his critical gaze sadled by Lennie to Amy, and finally settled on Lydia with a wink. In that little 'wink,' some of her hurt fell away.

"We have not been here long enough to prove our worth, clearly." Lennie defended himself. "That still does not explain the fact why she has to meet with us? Can she not just call in and deliver?"

"What kind of business woman do you take me for?" Lydia bursted out without even thinking, "I take pride in all of my work, Max is both a friend and a client. Whom I am able to help and is presently doing so! Of course I need progress reports and such and keeping in contact is beneficial either way."

Tapping an incessant fingertip upon the wooden table, Lennie still looked unconvinced. Lydia got the oddest feeling from him, something in her gut was telling her he wasn't right.

Prejudice. Lydia knew all too well what was expected of her, which is why _most_ of their dealings _were_ over the phone, emails, and once a month visits. Prejudice. Of course Lydia did not hold it against them, most of her kind wanted them exterminated, believing that they had no souls and should not be given the same rights as citizens and so forth.

"If you have truly read the briefing than you wouldn't be asking questions." Max reputed his argument immediately.

"Can she not talk?" Lennie smirked at her. "I was asking Ms. Carlyle, not yourself."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh, she knew it would come to this. "I have been working with Max for the past six months, and I have had no complaints prior to this moment on my handlings of the situation." She cooly responded.

"Six months?" Lennie flipped through the file in front of him and frowned at the words staring back at him. "Then why does it say a year here?" He looked back up at her from the piece of paper.

"Because I needed six months to prepare my means to a solution."

"What means?" He was fishing for a certain answer, and she instantly knew what it was.

Taking her time with the wording in her mind she went on, "It had been only four months since the country had learned about the existence of Manticore and the casualties involved, I needed to find leverage in order for myself to provide what I had promised. It was harder than originally thought, keeping the transportation and the amount under wraps."

"Underwraps?" He quirked one of his dark eyebrows at her suspiciously.

"You know as well as I that if I had told my benefactors where the supplies were going and for whom they would have abstinately refused no matter what leverage I had above their heads." She answered him truthfully, out of the corner of her vision she saw the proud smirk of Max as well as Alec, which gave her a renewed self-confidence. "You knew the answer before even asking the question, you were just gouging out my reaction and seeing whether or not I was lying about my sincerety."

Lennie leaned back into his chair and gave off a shrug in his trenchcoat of his. "It was worth a try. How long will it be until we can get the new provisions?"

"It will be two months at least." She replied, her face entirely nuetral.

Max, who was now eyeing Lennie, nodded at her, "That's good. Do you need extra hands?"

Because the mission was kept off of her record books, none of her employees were allowed to work on the trucks and packaging. It was all her and Max.

"Yeah, at least a hundred people should do…if it's not too much trouble." Lydia told her as she ran her hand through her hair, lifting up her sunglasses and setting them on the table before her.

"No, it's fine. When do you need them?" Max asked her as she looked down at her pile of papers, more than likely they were the ones who signed up to help out already.

Thinking and looking at her own numbers and delivery dates, Lydia bit her bottom lip anxiously: "Possibly in the next week? Since today is Thursday…next Thursday?"

Max nodded an affirmative as she closed a file on her pile. "Okay, I'll give you a call when you need to pick them up and where."

"Okay." Lydia began stuffing her notes and sorts in her bag until Max interrupted her.

"Lydia?" Max was trying to get her attention, which she got when Lydia's head popped up at her name. "I forgot about my introductions." She indicated the two newbies. "They are newcomers who have recently come back from Europe. They met up with us about two weeks ago, they have experience in espionage…basically they are here because they've elected themselves as security." A hard edge to her voice told Lydia that it was a forced admission. "This is Lennie," obviously indicating the male who only blinked at her, "and Amy," she indicated the quiet female who did not bother to meet Lydia's eyes and stared straight ahead.

'Well, so much for freakin' hospitality.' Lydia smirked and went on with her preparations to leave, she needed to make more reports, and hide most of the dealings happening today. "Just give me that call, Max." She told her friend and smiled at them all while throwing away her empty coffee mug, while putting her purse over her shoulder as she stepped down the metallic stairs.

"Lydia! You're back!" Mole called out to her as she passed by his desk filled with computer parts.

Turning, she saw him and smiled at him. She always loved his company, never had she found someone who could explain to her the programming of software and actually understand them. And he had a wicked sense of humor, one that she always found herself chuckling even after the fact. "Yep, actually I was just leaving."

Mole's smile turned into a slight frown, "Was it the newbies?" He nodded upwards at the platform. His onyx orbs seemed to emulate his emotions perfectly, he was discerning her mood.

"Uh, no." She tried to reassure him, but her voice sounded too soft, she cleared her throat. "I just need to get some of my reports done and sent to my advisor." Shrugging at him she started to walk away again, "I'll…" his small hand wrapped around her wrist and she ceased all action. Mole was never one for physical contact, never feeling comfortable about people he usually kept to himself, she accepted him for it. She even remembered the day she put her hand on his shoulder and he jerked away, stunning her completely. After explaining his life at Manticore and what they did to the 'annomalies,' she understood completely and apologized profusely for it. She accepted it and tried her best to respect his discomfort.

That was why she was in complete shock when she felt his hand enclose upon her wrist. She stared at his gray fingers with awe and her eyes slowly traveled up the appendage's arm, shoulder, neck, and his black eyes. Cocking her head in her confusion at his actions she gave him a tiny smile.

He shakily took his hand away from her wrist and gulped heavily. "S-sorry." He apologized to her and looked away nervously. "Just don't let those two scare you off. You've done a lot for us, more than anyone other than Max herself that is." His eyes turned to her once more, sparking with unbrittled emotions. "Don't let them make you think your work is unappreciated. All of us are thankful and we accept you as one of our own, Lydia."

They might have been a few words, but she could feel the heat in her cheeks at his praise. Stepping closer to him she smiled at him brilliantly, making sure not to touch him she leaned in. "Thanks, Mole. I didn't really want to admit it at first but the guy actually shook me up a bit. I hadn't actually prepared myself towards the prejudice of my species. I honestly thought I could handle it though." She shrugged at him and looked down at her hands as they picked at her white blouse nervously. She'd always pondered how Logan and Original Cindy handled situations like her own on a daily basis. "I don't know what it's like for any of you, and I guess I forget that we're…not…" She let her words trail off, not sure how to verbalize the thoughts that were clammering in her head.

Still, just as Mole was able to see past her emotions, he was also capable of reading into her words. "That we're different?" He smiled at her obvious difficulty and nervousness of sounding prejudice herself. "The fact that you forget…even with something like me…isn't really anything to apologize for Lydia." Surprisingly, Mole did not move away from her close proximity and she was ever intrigued at how much of a friendship she had with him just then. 'If he is able to touch me, even for a second…after the stuff that he's told me he's been through, than at least he accepts me.'

"You're not something, Mole!" She admonished him harshly, her blue eyes blazing with slight anger. "You're somebody."

Smiling at her, he shook his head at her silently. "Oh, yes! How can I forget?" He teased her.

Sighing at the fact that he easily goaded her into anger assisted her in forgetting Lennie's words. "Thanks, but I really have reports to fill out and send." She said to him as she walked away only to run straight into a steely chest. "Ow!" She hissed as her nose got crushed into the flat planes of the muscular body before her. Looking up she saw the amused grin of Alec and she let out a grunt. "What?" She snapped at him, slightly embarassed and also amused herself. How had he gotten behind her so easily? She was right at the end of the metallic stairway, she should have seen him coming down! 'Transgenic duh!' She reminded herself with a mental hit upside her brain.

"I just thought you'd like these back," he replied as he held up her sunglasses that she had forgotten on the table.

"Oh, thanks." She went to grab them only to grasp air as Alec held them higher.

"Bye Lydia," Mole waved at her as he stalked off shaking his head at Alec's antics.

"Bye!" She called back at him as she continued to pierce Alec with an irritated stare. "Alec, just give them to me?" She held out her palm towards him. She tried again only for him to wave them even higher. Putting her hands on her hips she huphed gravely: "Did I ever tell you that you're like that older brother I am, ever so grateful, I do not have?"

Alec's confidant smirk slowly dissipated into a small grin and he gave her a shock when he handed over the glasses. Usually when he did this game of theirs it would last a good ten minutes. What kind of look was he giving her now?

Lydia tossed it aside mentally and grabbed her glasses from his large hand as she sidled past him. "I'll call ya later!" She waved at him as she exited the building and went straight into the underground corridor.

'A brother?' Alec tried to not let that bother him quite so much, why did it bother him in the first place? He let that train of thought linger as he stepped up the stairs to be once again immersed in the business of leading. If someone had told him that he would be assisting in the livelihoods of transgenics, and creating his own nation, he would have laughed at them outwright.

Never in a million years did he think his life would have turned out this way, he was born and bred to be a soldier to take orders, not give them. 'Well, at least not at this scale.' He thought as he sat himself back down at the table. As the meeting went on, he found Lennie's presence even more aggravating. The guy was getting under his skin, especially with the unappreciated comments about their business with Carlyle Industries, or more specifically with humans. Original Cindy and Logan were also getting the cold shoulder from the newcomers, even though Max made it pretty clear that there was equality amongst them. Alec found that hard to believe, especially when Lennie attacked Lydia right in front of them.

Smirking at the memory, she definitely held her own. What else was new? Lydia Carlyle was the kindest person, but when she was working she was a force to be reckoned with. Once Lennie attacked her work ethics, the way her blue eyes flashed in anger and her usually pale cheeks flushed, she was absolutely stunning. At the age of 22 she was the owner of her deceased father's company, knowing every corner inside and out. She was amazing with her clients. Allowing a sense of friendship to govern her expendentures, except when dealing with those backwash businesses of course. They were ruthless when it came to how they were receiving and transporting their supplies, which was how Lydia was able to assist their cause in the first place. Without that leverage, there would be nothing. Still, she was right if they knew whom their products were going to, no matter what, they would back out and leave Lydia with more than internal struggles but a possible strike on her hands.

The thought made Alec clench his jaw somewhat. Lydia was sacrificing a lot more than she would admit, and it angered him even more to know that Lennie was questioning her motives. Throughout the entirety of her business and friendship with Max, every member of the 'inner circle,' has gotten to know her personally, even those she meets on a whim come out liking her, it was just her personality that let people in. That was why he began talking to her over the last few months, and they actually became friends as well. Still, his thought went back to her earlier statement, causing his fingers to dig sharply into the leather in his seat. 'Brother?'

"No! Stacy just email me the stocks and I'll go over them myself!" She bit out over her cell phone, while walking down the familiar street. Her auburn hair swaying around her face while the light rain fell upon her, she grimaced at the droplets. 'God's spitting on me I just know it!'

The voice on the other end was frantic, Stacy Fern was never one for patience. Still, the woman knew her work and got it down when it needed to be, plus she was the only one she trusted with her underbelly dealings with transgenics. 'Hell, she even has a crush on Alec!' Hard working and devoted, but right now stress was giving way to hysteria. "But Lydia, you don't understand!! Those numbers are the backbone of this industry if that's missing than it's all over!!"

Sighing deeply, Lydia decided not to reprimand the woman for stating the obvious and went along with calm and collected. "Stacy I want you to calm down. Take a deep breath and…" Before she could finish her sentence a familiar scent assailed her nostrils. 'Oh, please don't make it so!' She pleaded inwardly as she stopped her walking and turned around while lowering the phone.

Stacy's wails could be heard even from her place at Lydia's hip: "Lydia? Lydia? Did you hang up on me? Hello?"

"Told ya I would wait for ya bitch," the man leered towards her, smirking.

Looking around quickly, Lydia realized that she hadn't been paying much attention about where she was going and had walked herself straight into the alley next to the one the perverts possessed. Now, she was cornered. 'How do I get myself into these predicaments?' She mentally questioned herself. 'Oh, yes! Because I can't keep my fucking mouth shut!' She sarcastically answered herself.

Watching the man stalk towards her, Lydia could still hear her secretary on the phone whining about her not paying attention. Seeing her only course of action she brought her arm up with the phone in hand. "Stacy, get help!" She screamed into the phone right before the man rammed her into the brick wall behind her.

She saw the cell phone fly from her hands and land to break on the unforgiving pavement. The air in her lungs shot out of her from the force and she tried to kick out her legs, just to hit the spot she knew all men had. Unfortunately, the man obviously had experience, one of his oily hands held her throat as another grabbled with her jeans. Lydia struggled against his hold, he tightened his hold on her throat since she tried to scream but all that erupted from her lips were hoarsed.

Still fumbling with her pants, Lydia began flailing against the man. Anger and fear caused a burst of adrenaline as she fisted her right hand and smashed it into the side of his face. Pain now coursed through her hand, and he seemed unfazed. 'Must be the amount of alcohol he's consumed,' she thought morosely. He twisted his head away and spat out the blood and tooth she had beaten out of him. When he turned his dull eyes back at her she felt her insides turn cold: they lacked any humanity within them. A large smile broke out along his ragged features at her obvious aghast. He pulled her body towards his as he gyrated his hips against her, and Lydia could feel his hardness. She tried to swallow the bile rising in the back of her throat when he suddenly jerked her against the wall against, this time ensuring her skull hit the wall with a jarring 'crack.'

Lydia's eyes fluttered close as unconsciousness swept through her.

Max was droning on and on about some sewers again. 'Did she honestly have a thing for them or something?' How many times had they used that same system in retrieving their friends or escaping some place? Alec had to scrub his pants and shirts for over a months to get the smell out of it. Shaking the memories of that particular moment in his life out of his head he felt the tall tell vibration of his cell phone in his pocket. Everyone turned their eyes towards him as he reached into his pants to grab it. Seeing the caller ID he raised a dark eyebrow at the name. "Yeah?" He flipped it open instantly, and regretting when a shriek came out of the ear piece. "What?"

Stacy's voice was shrill and definitely hysterical as she relayed to him what her conversation with Lydia was about.

"Stace, what the hell has this got to do with me?" Alec inquired as he listened to her prattle on about the numbers being missing from the office.

Stacy ceased her screeching and took a breath: "She was saying something about me calming down and than I heard a man's voice calling her 'bitch' she then screamed on the phone to get help and then the line went dead."

Everything Alec was thinking stopped as his eyes sparked in anger, his heart began to beat faster as his adrenaline was preparing his system for action. "Where was she last?"

"The line went dead not two minutes ago, and her GPS system on her phone says that she passed Nordstro street in the second alleyway!" Stacy answered him.

"On my way." Alec replied and shut the phone peering up from his seat to see Max's nod of approval as he ran out of the facility as blurringly fast as possible.

The moment he got to the alley he saw the drunk man slam Lydia's head straight into the brick wall and everything went berserk. All of his instincts went into overdrive. 'Protect. Mate. Danger.' Was all his mind could grasp at that moment as he blurred to the man's back and easily pulled him off of her. Lydia slid to the ground unconscious leaving a trail of blood on the wall on her descent. The smell of her blood caused Alec to bristle even more as he swung the man around and soccer punched him straight into his gut, the force of the punch sending the man fifteen feet away and into the semi-busy street. The man was unconscious, but Alec was out for blood as he began to walk towards the drunk, the sound of a feminine groan stopped him. "Alec."

It was but a whisper, but Alec turned his green hazel eyes towards the origin and saw her trying to crawl her way up against the wall, her pants slightly undone and her blouse askew. Alec blurred over to her easily grabbing her up into his arms, as she reached for her purse, he then blurred all the way back to the facility.

By the time he entered the corridor Lydia was already unconscious again. Both of his arms grabbed at her as if she was going to disappear from his embrace. His mind was thinking logically now, and he felt completely unbidden. What would have happened had she not called out to him? Would he have killed the drunk? Who else saw what he did? Lydia's head rocked lightly against his shoulder and the thoughts swam away. It would be worth it to know that she was safe.

Just as soon as he entered the facility, Mole, Dalton, Joshua, Max, Logan, and Original Cindy clammered around him, in order to see where all the blood was coming from. Max, drawing forth on her training, carefully prodded Lydia's head. When she pushed one spot to hard a soft groan was her reply from the unconscious woman, and Alec instantly snarled at her. Max, surprised by his response, immediately withdrew her hand and gulped at him. "She needs medical attention, she has a concussion for sure." She told him and he just nodded at her blankly while holding her close to his chest. "Dalton, get the doc!" Max ordered the x7, who went urgently.

Once the doc was there he went for Lydia's body and Alec could not help the growl of warning against the man. Max, unbidden, grabbed his hand that was clenched against Lydia's outer thigh. His attention drawn to her immediately Alec saw her expression, "Alec, I understand…but she needs our help. Let him take her to our infirmary. You can't help her now." Her brown eyes consoled him somewhat as he let air into his lungs once again and faltered his hold on her innert body. Max, seeing the gesture nodded towards the doc who strode forward and took her gently from Alec's arms and laid her down on the cot beside him. Alec watched as they strolled Lydia away. "Alec." Max's concerned tone once again drew his attention away from Lydia and to her. "Make sure you make your rounds tonight alright?"

Alec, comprehending she was letting him off for the rest of the day, shook his head. "No, I need to keep busy."

Max, bitting her lip, gave him a slight nod in affirmation and walked away to leave him looking down at his own hands that still held Lydia's blood.

Straining her eyes to open, Lydia knew the moment conciousness flittered through her limbs she thought it better to just be unconscious. Groaning as she grabbed her head, feeling the pounding of her heart within her brain, she felt a wave of nausea assail her. As she looked at her raised arm she noticed the IV unit stuck in her and panicked. Glancing around she saw that she was in an infirmary, in Max's facility. 'How the hell did I get back here?'

A man in a white labcoat came into the room with a small smile on his face, Deal, that was his name. His soft brown hair was contrast to his stark dark brown eyes and pale skin. "Got a headache?" He asked her, holding a file in his hands.

"Do I really have to answer that, Deal?" She replied as she groaned at the fact the pounding seemed to be getting worse. "What the hell happened? How did I get here?"

Nodding at her questions, Deal simply shrugged. "You've suffered a major head injury, memory loss is common. What do you remember last?"

Narrowing her eyes as she thought back to her last memory, she began to see images. "Um…speaking to Mole and Alec and telling them bye." Looking up from the spot on her bed she eyed Deal again. "Why?"

Deal gave her a solemn nod, and began to walk out of the room. "You can answer that one can't you?" He asked someone outside the room, as she waited she saw the green hazel eyes assault her own. Alec. What the hell was going on?

"Alec, what's going on?" She didn't want a merry-go-round she wanted answers, NOW.

Alec, raking his hand through his golden spikes, took a deep breath and sat down on the bedside. "A drunk attacked in the alleyway as you were on the phone with Stacy. I got there in time to stop anything from happening, but not until after he slammed your head into the brick wall." He explained to her, his eyes shinning with some sort of emotion.

Lydia, shocked, reached up to her head where the bandage held her hair. "I don't even remember speaking to Stacy." She realized the extremity of the situation and the erriness of it all made her heart jump. What else had happened that she could not remember? Gulping down her nervousness and embarassment she brought her sapphire eyes to his, "Alec, did he…I mean was I…?" She could not even finish the question and brought her hand up to clench at her chest in protectiveness.

Alec, his eyes rounded, caught her hand in both of his and shook his head. "No! No, I got there before any of that happened!" He reassured her, he began to rub circles on the back of her hand with one of his thumbs as she took in his words. His touch helped calm her heart and thoughts somewhat.

Suddenly, Lydia brought her other hand and smacked his arm, hard. "Don't do that to me!" She yelped at him as she again clutched at her heart.

"Ow!" Alec rubbed his injured limb and smiled at her, "I'll take that as a 'thank you?'"

Shrugging, she cocked her head at him: "Take it however you want." Noticing Alec's look of pensiveness, she turned her head away from his stare. "Alec?"

"Huh?" Alec shook his head and cleared his throat. "Oh, nothing. I have to go make my rounds." He began to get up from the bed but not before Lydia grasped his wrist that was settled near her thigh. Looking from his wrist to her eyes he saw sincerity in those dusky blue orbs.

"Thank you, Alec." Lydia saw his apprehension and she could not understand if she was making him uncomfortable or what, so she released his wrist and he strolled out of the room. 'Well, that was beyond awkward.'

Alec knew what everyone else knew. He had shown his possessive side towards the girl. 'Great. Now, if some didn't know about my intentions with her, they certainly do now.' He thought sourly as he treaded out of the infirmary and straight into a den of his fellow transgenics. All of which were starting to bug him with questions.

"When will she get better?" "Is she alright?" Were most of the questions that he could deal with.

"Does her injury affect our chances of being able to receive sustainence?" Lennie's harsh tone broke out through the crowd.

Alec strained his jaw and allowed his body to relax. It didn't take long before another took his place in defense.

Mole, coming up to his right shoulder looked towards the newbie with distaste: "What does it matter right now? Lydia was hurt badly and could've been hurt a lot worse, we're only thankful that she's alive!" The others grunted their agreements.

Lennie saw it and sneered visibly as he kept his distance, his long trenchcoat billowing around him. "She's human." As if it were the answer to everything.

"And we're freaks," Gem, the beautiful blonde x5 reputed his argument easily. "Lydia's got no problem helping us out, and as far as we're concerned she's one of us anyway." Her green eyes flashing towards Lennie with anger.

"Your priorities should be to your own kind, not some girl who cannot defend herself." Lennie shook his head in disapproval as if he were their father accounting every sin they all committed. "It worries me how much this community depends on human support. Have you not forgotten it was the humans who created us, who treated us like sheep, and wanted to throw us away like garbage?"

"You speak about humans in general, Lennie." A new soft voice broke out from behind them all, just out of the entrance of the infirmary wing. Alec turned slightly to see Lydia strained against the side of the entrance. His nostrils flared as he took in her sweat and heavy breathing, she was testing her limits as it was.

"Are you defending your kind?" Lennie pivoted towards her steadily. His dark eyebrows reaching his dark hairline.

Shaking her auburn tresses she looked at Alec, he saw the pain and the obvious discomfort of her situation, but he also saw a spark of strength in those blue orbs of hers. "I am only defending myself, for I don't deny what others of my said kind did, nor do I condone it. A human, as you've said, did this to me. Why do you think I prefer the company of your people than my own?" She smirked sadly towards Lennie as her eyes roamed all those now staring at her. "Humans are capable of such treachery, and from what I have known of your people is that, although there are some exceptions in both cases, humanity has always been capable of destroying itself."

Lennie was moving closer to her, his glistening eyes raking over her form, making Alec's pulse jump higher. He was getting a little too close for his own comfort.

"Are you saying that we're the mechanism of destruction, Lydia?" Lennie drawled out slowly allowing everyone to hear his question. He meant to lead her out, to make her seem like the ones they had taken orders from, Alec knew this but did she? Looking from Lennie's stalking form to Lydia he wasn't sure.

"Not at all. I am simply saying that if you wish for humans to be decimated, you probably won't have to wait long, they usually do it themselves without any thought or effort…it's like breathing." She answered him as she slid off the wall she was propping herself against and began to turn around.

"You're possibly the only human I'll ever say this to…get well soon." Lennie gruffed out and stormed away as if angered that Lydia was not goaded.

Alec sighed in relief at the turn of events, Lydia definitely knew how to handle herself in tense situations, but not physical. "Mole?" Lydia's whispered plea caught his attention. Mole immediately went to Lydia's side and wrapped his grey arm around her slender waist. "Thank you." She leaned into him and he led her back towards the infirmary.

Watching the two walk down the hall and into the room where she was being treated, Alec retreated to his rounds for the night, making it a priority to check up on Lydia as soon as possible.


End file.
